Kidney Diseases

BUN/Creatinine ratio

Question:

What does a high BUN/creatinine ratio mean regarding the kidneys? My ratio is 29. Should I be concernd and see a specialist?

My doctor did not comment with anything about this reading. My BUN is 23 and my creatinine is 8. Thank you

Answer:

If your ratio is 29 then your creatinine is 0.8mg/dl and NOT 8.0. Since your creatinine is very likely normal (what is normal varies with sex, age and race) you are not likely to have any kidney disease if your urine-analysis is also normal.

The BUN can vary on a daily basis depending on your fluid intake and your diet and is not a reliable indicator of your kidney function. I wouldn't be concerned about this very slight elevation of the ratio (a normal ratio is about 10) as it is not clinically important.

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